Into the Wild: The Keys
by Pereybere
Summary: It's the annual FBI expedition and Booth wants to take the whole team with him... Now rated M for sexual situations! B&B, A&H and Z
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Into The Wild - The Keys

**Disclaimer**: These characters to not belong to me. Alas, they belong to Fox.

**Rating**: I would imagine this will eventually be an M.

**Author's Note: **Well, it's been awhile since I posted a story on here and I have been working on some of my own stuff for awhile. But a lovely reader commented that a sequel to this would be good and I thought 'why not?' so let me know what you think!

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He found her in her office, pouring over a pile of haphazard reports. She kept her head bent, her eyes narrowed just a little in silent contemplation. As he watched, she did not appear to notice his presence, and her pen did not move from it hovered, as if she had wanted to write something but could not, for the life of her, remember what.

Finally she sighed, dropping the pen to her desk and pushing her chair back. Her fingers curled into tight knuckles and when she exhaled, her lips became a tight, grim line.

"Hey you," he said, alerting her to his presence. Her eyes brightened at the prospect of the lunch he had promised her earlier. "How has your day been?" Temperance Brennan dropped her chin into the palm of her hand, her mouth lopsided with frustration. "You look like you need a vacation," he added before she could respond. Brennan threw him a glimmer of a smile.

"I do," she agreed. "This week has been a week from hell."

Sitting opposite her, Seeley Booth was sometimes struck by how easily they shifted from lovers to colleagues. Today, he was tittering on the edge of both. While their conversation might have seemed platonic, there was a hint of tender intimacy laced with their words and a sense of comfort surrounding them as they slid easily into their usual routine. He might have been there on business, but it felt as though they were sharing more than just small talk.

They had been lovers for about a year and three months, and he felt a sense of achievement in knowing that they had successfully juggled their professional partnership with their intimate one.

"Good thing I read your mind then," he told her, smirking manically. Brennan eyed him with quiet suspicion, pushing her chair back and reclining, her fingers folded over her stomach. "We're going away." Booth shrugged inside his jacket, his eyebrows lifting.

"Away?" she echoed stupidly.

"Oh yes! It's that time of the year again." Admittedly, it was slightly later in the year as Deputy Director Cullen had experienced some delays in the organizational side of things.

"What time of year?" Brennan asked, her brow furrowed.

"FBI expedition time of course!" He held his hands out, palms up, fingers spread, as though he were stating the most obvious thing in the world to her. Realisation dawned on her features and she immediately shook her head.

"Oh no, Booth. No way," her arms sliced through the air. "I fell for _that_ once and I am not falling for it again. My idea of a relaxing vacation is not trekking through the forest trying to compete with your colleagues." Booth dropped his hands to her shoulders, willing her to be calm. Her muscles felt tight and his revelation had done nothing to ease tensions in her office.

"It's not a forestry trip this time-" he began but her protests came forth.

"It's not any kind of trip, Booth because I'm not going." She shook him off, dropping back into her chair. He reached out, touching the russet strands of her silken hair. Her lashes fluttered momentarily but her determination did not waver. "People can see you," she growled, her fingers knotted tightly over her forgotten work.

"Hmm…" he murmured, barely paying attention. "The expedition is in the Florida Keys…" his tone was slow and seductive. "A week, a desert island playing castaway… surely that appeals to your adventurous nature…?" She tossed her hair, looking down on her hands. Her knuckles were white, the bone pressed against the papery skin. "Want to hear the good part?" he asked and she pulled her lip between her teeth. "This time, it's not just pairs. It's a team of those we, the FBI agents, work most closely with." Even without looking at him, Temperance caught the smugness in his tone. "That's the anthropology team at the Jeffersonian for _me_. Angela and Hodgins are totally up for it. Zach is complaining about his complexion, but he's been persuaded. If you don't go, you'll be the only one…"

Brennan swung to face him, her cheeks red with annoyance. "I won't be manipulated. This is not logical. Who will look after things here?" Booth took a few steps back, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"There's a pile of old bones in the storage room that can _surely_ wait another week. Angela's so bored she's drawing daises in her office, Hodgins is unnecessarily poking through cow dung and Zach is questioning why he even became a doctor in the first place," his tone changed and his eyes darkened, "Temperance," he said, and her lover was back again, "your team are bored. They need to recharge their batteries, to delve into a challenge…"

Brennan threw her hands into the air. Since Booth had acquainted himself with her colleagues, he had used them against her, swaying them in directions she would rather they did not go. "I have work to do now, Booth," she told him, her expression signalling that she wanted him to leave. He chuckled.

"Promise you'll think about it?" he asked, his eyes wide and hopeful. Brennan turned her back on him, but he could tell by her posture that she was almost defeated. He resisted the urge to punch the air triumphantly. "Catch you later." Booth dropped a chaste kiss to the top of her head, satisfied when her sigh signalled pleasure and not frustration.

Outside in the laboratory, Angela was leaning over Jack, their noses inches apart. Their smiles were wide and he felt privately elated that the somewhat nerdy Hodgins had persisted and finally won the affections of the free-spirited artist. And as Angela tilted her head, her lips brushing his cheek, it certainly seemed as though she, too, were happy with the outcome of his pursuit.

"What will we be doing on this expedition?" Zach Addy asked, his hands deep in the pockets of his blue lab coat. "Dr Brennan got hurt last year," he reminded Booth.

"I know she did," he replied. "But this expedition is more orientated towards survival skills than physical capabilities, which is why you're invited, Zach." If the anthropologist was offended by Booth, he did not show it. "Do you think you can survive for a week without all this equipment?" he asked. The question seemed to strike Zach, for his eyes widened as he swept his gaze across what would be the closest thing he would ever get to children.

"Yeah…" he replied hesitantly. He cleared his throat. "Yeah," he repeated, more confident this time. Booth shook his head slowly, turning away from the man who, until recently, had been Brennan's kooky assistant. Since he'd gotten his doctorate, Zach had been putting even more time into the Jeffersonian – if that were possible. "What kind of stuff will we be doing?" he asked, coming to stand by Booth's side. "Fishing and stuff? Will we be all Robinson Crusoe?"

Booth cast a sideward glance towards Zach. If he had his way, the week would be spent making love to Brennan and winning a competition. It would be seven days of R and R. "I don't think it'll be quite so hardcore," he replied and beside him, the anthropologist seemed to exhale in relief. "Hey kiddo, if you don't want to go-"

"No!" Zach hurried to say, "I do!"

"Okay then... well… go pack." Booth was struck often by how uncomfortable he was around Zach yet how fond of him he truly was. Although his goofy intelligence was sometimes patronizing and intimidating, he felt a bizarre father-like obligation to him. Granted, Zach was by no means young enough to be his son, but he had a naivety that required a guardian to look over him. He was not a fighter and he had no instinct to defend himself.

Glancing over his shoulder, Booth saw Brennan, watching him through the glass, her eyes dark with a gentle adoration that he had come to rely on. She was lovely in her intelligence and independence – but in the past year or so, Temperance had let him into her life and permitted him to take care of her; to a degree, anyway.

A lot has transpired between them in the forest during the last expedition and when he sent his flare up, Brennan understood that he would have sacrificed anything before he sacrificed her. Unintentionally winning that competition was the best thing he had ever done, but not professionally; it was the personal gain that had made it all worthwhile.

She gave him a small smile and he grinned back, his heart beating faster inside his chest. Maybe, ideally, he wouldn't have wanted the squints to come to the island with them, but it didn't really matter – everyone in the lab knew about their relationship and although Brennan never wanted to exhibit their feelings for one and other, she did not hide it either.

"Hey G-Man?" Jack Hodgins slapped his back, propelling him forward a metre. Booth straightened himself, reigning his wayward thoughts back. "Nice one about the vacation! Angela just mentioned packing baby oil for a finer tan – however can I repay you?" his blue eyes twinkled suggestively and Booth was sure he had never seen such a streak of sexuality in the entomologist before. He frowned.

"It's not really a vacation," Booth explained slowly. "There won't be much time for sunning." He felt like a hypocrite for, just moments earlier, he had been contemplating the rest. "We have some stiff competition. Last year, Sandrell took the coroner he works most frequently with. This year, he's taking five people from the coroner's office! Agent Owens and Patterson have four guys from Behavioural Sciences and you know how good those guys are at using their heads…" he turned to Hodgins now, a prickle of anxiety rippling along his spine. "I need _everyone_ to be on the top of their game on this island." Jack dropped his hands to his hips.

"Don't sweat it, dude," he insisted, "we are the best. Just one little thing, though, there's five on our team and six on the others. Don't they have something of an unfair advantage?" Booth waved his hand dismissively.

"I've asked some girl, Alexa from the lab at the Bureau to join us. She's young and a bit gung-ho, but hey, she's clever." For a moment, Jack looked as though he was going to object but eventually he shrugged.

"More the merrier, I suppose. She pretty?" He almost did not pause between sentences. Booth frowned.

"Don't imagine Angela would appreciate that," he said.

"Appreciate what?" Angela asked, slipping two coloured pencils into her hair. She was chirpy and free-spirited. Booth liked her personality.

"Jack wants to check out other women…" he told her and Angela shrugged her slender shoulders.

"There's nothing wrong with looking," she insisted. "Just so long as he keeps his hands to himself. Besides," she swept her eyes over the length of him, touching the tip of her tongue to the corner of her mouth, as if studiously appraising him, "it doesn't stop me looking…"

Her chuckle was audible as he strode away, shaking his head. There were few things in life that seemed to bother the forensic artist – those things were death, murder and child-killers. Otherwise, Angela Montenegro wonderfully easy-going.

The forensics team at the Jeffersonian truly were a bizarre mix of personalities, but Booth knew that, in the name of a competition, there was no one he'd rather have on his side.

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I apologise for any mistakes in this chapter. I haven't reread it and I know I should, but I am just so sick today and I can barely keep my eyes open – but when the muse bites, I can't make it go away. Thanks! Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Into the Wild – The Keys

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**Rating: **T for now.

**Author's Note: **I am really pleased at the interest in this so far! I hope everyone will continue to read. To everyone who is usually onboard for one of my stories; thank you guys, I'm glad to have you all with me on this one!

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"Is everyone listening?" Agent Harris asked and a hush fell over the crowd. Brennan shifted in her chair, recalling her last encounter with the sharp tongued federal agent; he took inane pleasure in mocking her whenever possible. "There's a change of format this year, so I'd like to welcome those of you who weren't here last time." Harris dipped his head in the general direction of the twenty or so new recruits. "The islands you will be staying on do belong to people. However we are renting them for the duration of the expedition. First and foremost on your list or priorities is that you do not damage the local flora and fauna. For this reason, you will be permitted only to use foliage and you can only go to _live _trees for fruit. There's five teams of six and one lead member in each. Think of this person as the boss," Brennan cast a weary glance towards Booth who would, without a doubt, revel in being 'the boss'. "The final decision in any situation comes down to your lead member – even if you're a partnership.

"In the event of an emergency, the lead member will have radio access to a team of agents who will dispatch an Air Ambulance immediately. No one except the lead member can use the radio _unless_ said member is critically ill. The task is survival – there is no accommodation on the islands; you must build it – no tents will be provided. No knifes are permitted for the gutting of fish, there are six of you; make it yourself.

"You'll be on the island by 7.00am Monday and you should have sufficient time to build adequate sheltering. Each team member may have one luxury item but said item must not weigh any more than 3 kilograms and must _not_ be an item that will aid survival. Any team asking to be removed from the challenge will be automatically disqualified, even if only one member wishes to leave."

Zach lifted his hand and Harris settled his cool gaze on him. "How will the winners be determined?" he asked.

"Upon completion of the seven days, survival experts will analyse the skill of your team's craftsmanship who whichever team has, what they deem as the best facilities, will win." Brennan thought it seemed easier than last time, but then, she wasn't lying on a bed of dried leaves, yet. "Any questions?" Harris asked. When no one else raised their hands, he nodded sharply. "You'll be asked to list your luxury items on Sunday which gives you all day tomorrow to think about it."

As the crowd dispersed, Brennan asked herself how she had managed to get roped into another year of mindless FBI competing. Alone, Booth would never have convinced her, but it was the thought of all her colleagues, enjoying the challenge.

"Dr Brennan?" Zach asked, dropping his hand to her arm. She turned, pulling a smile to her lips. "Do you know what you'll bring with you?" Around them, the teams spoke in hushed voices, planning their strategies.

"Maybe my novel. What about you?" With shorter hair, Zach was the picture of professionalism, but she would always see him as her student, who she wanted to nurture.

"My laptop, that way, I can be connected remotely to the Jeffersonian's server." Brennan smirked.

"Won't that violate the rules of survival?" she asked and Zach shook his head.

"No! I wouldn't use it for that. I'll pack extra battery packs, that way, I can get some work done without even being in DC." He looked triumphant, his smile wide. "I bet Booth will bring something really impractical… like a lucky charm or something." Brennan smiled softly, glancing down at her feet. It felt nice to know that her team could still express honest opinions about Booth, despite knowing that she was sleeping with him.

"Probably," she agreed with a sideward glance. "Booth is an idealist not a realist." Zach nodded, leaning back in his chair. "But you know, he's taught me that sometimes it's okay to be an idealist. There's nothing wrong with hope." Across the room, Booth was shaking hands with a colleague and she realised why she loved him. He was her exact opposite. As if he sensed she was watching him, he turned his head towards her and their eyes met. Brennan ceased her hear the chatter around her, and she saw only him. It astounded her that his presence could have such a dramatic affect on her.

Standing, she made her way across the room to him, vaguely aware that she'd left Zach on his own.

"Hey," she said as Booth turned to face her completely. "I cannot believe I've been roped into this again." His hand brushed her arm, his smile subtly seductive.

"I'll show my appreciation later," he promised, his voice honeyed. He was an expert at the game they played. Discretion was vitally important to them, but each found it privately amusing to whisper hushed words of temptation when it seemed inappropriate.

"You had better," she retorted, pulling her lower lip between her teeth. Sauntering away from him, Brennan knew he was checking out her ass, and she felt hot with guilty pleasure. Tomorrow was Saturday, and by Monday she and Booth would be on a beautiful island. She intended on bringing her novel with her, but Temperance imagined she wouldn't have much time to work on it.

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Saturday came and went with Brennan packing her belongings. While she imagined Angela would be cramming as many tiny bikinis into her bag as possible, Temperance was sensible in her choices; shorts, linen pants, sleeveless t-shirts and a few sweaters for the chillier nights. She packed moisturiser for her face, because she figured it did not aid in the survival process, clean underwear, a toothbrush and toothpaste and a hairbrush. When her bag was sitting by the front door, she propped her newest novel against it; if she got time, she would re-read it and proof read for grammatical errors.

Speaking to Booth, Brennan was surprised to find that he was bringing a deck of cards that he had owned for over a decade. Despite Zach's predictions that he would pack some kind of lucky charm, Booth said he knew he shouldn't, but there was no real harm in playing some solitaire on the beach.

On Sunday morning the teams made their way to Miami where they were briefed again, the rules explained for a second time and in a conference room of their hotel, they were required to show their luxury items.

Angela's, a art set comprising of pencils and charcoal and a canvas sketch book – a fairly obvious choice. Brennan expected nothing less from her best friend. Zach brought his laptop, which caused a momentary flood of objections until Zach explained it was simply for Jeffersonian use – and to write his journal. Hodgins packed a thousand-page book about wildlife in the tropics, Booth brought his cards, much to Temperance's disapproval and Brennan, her novel.

Alexa Regan brought a digital camera with a 2GB memory card. As she wrote her name and her item underneath Brennan's, she looked awkward. "I don't know anyone," she murmured, shifting into their little group. "I'm not even sure why Booth asked me to go. I get the feeling it was to make up numbers…" Brennan didn't admit that she was right; Booth wanted to be consistent; a team of scientists. When there was only four at the Jeffersonian that he could take, he went looking elsewhere. According to Booth, in his exact words 'Alexa was the best I could get at such short notice.'. Brennan felt sorry for the girl.

"Don't worry sweetie," Angela said, nudging Alexa. "Everyone here is cool, except Booth, sometimes he can be a little high strung – but you'll get used to him." Brennan smirked, shouldering her bag. "Have you met everyone yet?"

"Yeah… and everyone's been nice… it's just that you guys all already know each other and I'm well… the outcast." Angela waved her hand.

"Nonsense," she insisted. "You work in a lab, we work in a lab. It's all cool. Want to get some food?" Brennan sensed that Alexa had already warmed to Angela and she was glad because if it was expected of herself to welcome the new girl, she'd be in trouble. Being warm and understanding was something she had always struggled with and, although Booth had said her people skills were getting better, Temperance didn't feel social enough to be the group's welcome-wagon.

As they took off, she trailed behind, listening to the competitive chatter of those around them. Booth was a fiercely competitive man and she knew he would strive to win. Ordinarily, she was quite the competitor herself but in this instance, she wanted only to feel the sun on her skin and touch her toes to the warm ocean waves. As romantic as it was, she needed a rest.

In the morning they would take a chartered flight one of the islands and then a small boat journey would have them at their individual islands by 7am as promised. By then, the sun would have risen and it would be all systems go a panic to erect sheltering began. Brennan admitted to herself that she felt a prickle of nervousness at the prospect of having nowhere to sleep if they failed to produce something adequate.

"Temperance?" she felt Booth's hand on her waist, urging her into the foyer. "This whole conference thing bores me," he whispered, his mouth almost against her ear as if he were telling her a deep secret. "How about you meet me upstairs in ten minutes and I'll show you what definitely _does not _bore me?" She felt her cheeks warm to his words and she smiled, tilting towards him.

"Ten minutes?" she asked softly.

"Hmm," he agreed.

"Can't you make it five?"

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Apparently you really can rent islands on the Floridian Keys – which is totally cool. I knew you could buy, but it's totally convenient for me that there were rentals available in the ideal location for this story! Hope you'll continue to read! Next chapter; off to the islands!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Into the Wild – The Keys

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**Rating: **Still just a T – but I promise some sex in the next chapter!

**Author's Note: **I am so pleased that so many people are enjoying this story. It takes awhile to write the chapters because they take some planning – as it happens, a desert island trip is actually quite difficult, especially without any tools. Please review!

**n.b. **Howdylynn suggested that Booth should bring cards instead of a model car kit and I think it's a great idea so I have amended the previous chapter to reflect this instead. Thank you Howdy!

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There were over one thousand seven hundred islands that comprised of the Floridian Keys. Theirs was simply called 'The South Western Key' which was nowhere near as romantic as Agent Owens' 'Lyric Key' which apparently belonged to some big-time country music songwriter and singer. Nonetheless, Brennan thought theirs was prettier and marginally bigger.

"Who owns ours?" she asked as the speed-boat bounced over the aquamarine waters, leaving a trail of foam in its wake.

"Some business tycoon, no one that anyone knows much of," Booth replied, peeling the skin from a banana he'd bought at the harbour. "His villa is at the southern end of the island. According to Harris it has six bedrooms, a swimming pool, space for a yacht. Twenty acres of private paradise, costing just four millions dollars!" Angela leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Just?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Four million dollars is nothing for a millionaire," Hodgins said, his eyes fixed firmly on the island that was getting bigger in the distance. A strip of unspoilt white sand surrounded the island like a metaphorical halo. Brennan found this ironic, since The South Western Key was the closest thing she'd seen to Heaven in a long time.

"Like you?" she asked. Since their underground burial, she hadn't mentioned his money again, realising that wealth was something Jack was private about. "Wouldn't you buy something like this?" Hodgins shrugged.

"I own a smaller one in French Polynesia. Got it at a bargain but it's too far away and I haven't been in about five years. I rent it out to a writer and his wife. I barely know anything about it, actually. With global warming, it could be washed away by now." Jack shrugged indifferently while, around him, his colleagues gaped.

"You own a private island?" Alexa asked, her blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail – somehow, she looked even younger. There was an expression of disbelief on her face.

"Jack's a millionaire, aren't you buddy?" Booth nudged him. Windswept from the speed of the boat, his curly hair unruly, Jack Hodgins looked anything but rich. He looked kooky and a little eccentric, but he had none of the aristocratic properties of a man with money. He shrugged awkwardly. "He's a bit touchy about it," Booth added, as though Jack weren't even there.

Even though sunrise had been awhile ago, the sky was still a dark blue indigo, nowhere near as bright as it would be at midday. The island was beautiful, a ring of white sand capped by a lush mound of vivid green vegetation. A literal paradise, Brennan couldn't wait to sink her toes into the powdery granules of sand. Beside her, Booth nudged her shoulders with his. She glanced at him and caught the desire that burned within his glorious eyes. She saw memories of the night before and blushed.

As they approached the island, Angela saw a sloping palm tree, it's sweeping green leaves dipping into the ocean. The smallest breeze ruffled the leaves like feathers on a tropical bird and she drew the image in her memory, deciding to sketch it later; as a reminder of what it was like, looking at the island as a vision of perfection.

"Alright guys," the boat's skipper called over the roar of the engine, "two minutes until we're there, gather your stuff!" As if everyone had been waiting on his command, they scrambled to get their bags on their shoulders and by the time the boat slowed to a hum, they were ready to get off.

When Brennan swung her legs over the side of the boat and leapt into the calf-deep water, the droplets splashed against her legs and she knew it was ridiculous, but the ocean _felt_ tropical; crystal clear and never fully cooled from the night chill the water was tepid against her skin. She touched her fingers to the unsettled foam that surrounded the boat, inhaling deeply as she did.

"I've been in several tropical countries," she told the team as they waded towards the shore. "And there's a smell, isn't there? Fruit and flowers. If only it could be bottled." The skipper started the engine again, and no one replied, turning instead to wave him off.

"Good luck," he called, lifting his hand as he bid them goodbye. As the little vessel tore off across the sparkling water that, in the morning light was the colour of Ratanakiri zircon. When there was nothing left but a hum of the engine that was tantamount to a bird, Brennan suddenly felt as though they were very alone.

When they reached the sand, Booth dropped to his knees, opening his bag. He removed a radio and flicked it on. "This is Agent Booth checking in to see if the radio is working. Do you read me?" he asked. There was a long moment of silence. "I sure hope they do, otherwise we are stranded…" a crackle of static burst through the radio.

"Loud and clear, Agent Booth," a voice replied. "Thanks for checking in." Flicking the radio off again, Booth slid the device into his bag.

"Only for emergencies guys, am I clear?" Everyone nodded, except Brennan who levelled a hard glare at him. She hated to be under anyone's command. "We should get started."

The beach curved out of sight. From the ocean to the foliage there was about fifty yards of sand that slowly took a transition from sand to thin grass and eventually thick trees and high blades. Beyond the trees was a dusky light where the sun barely managed to penetrate the overhead canopy.

Booth unfolded an aerial map of the island and they were all surprised by how little it was. "I don't think we should sleep on the beach," Angela said. "When the tide comes in, there won't be much space left on this sand." Alexa frowned.

"How do you know the tide isn't already in?" she asked. Angela pointed to the line of shells and speckles of seaweed that began just before their feet.

"This is low tide," she replied. "You can see this fainter line here," she took several paces towards the trees. "Which doesn't leave enough space to build anything. But if you look here," she pointed to a clearing of space on the aerial map. "It's sheltered by trees which means there'll be no wind from the ocean and at night…" her voice trailed off. "I had nothing to do last night," she began again, shaking off her bag from her back. "So I drew some ideas of how we can build a shelter…" She passed Booth a page from her sketch book. The group gathered close, gazing over his shoulders.

"Good work, Angela," Booth murmured surprised by the almost architect-like qualities to her drawing. She shrugged modestly.

"Before deciding to take up forensic art, I wanted to be a nude-artist," she smiled sneakily, "but before _that_ I wanted to be an architect. Until I realised it was, like, _so _boring!" Her drawing showed six individual huts that were rectangular in shape. They looked almost like little boxes. "I figure," Angela said, "if we divide into groups of two, we can build six small huts instead of one bigger shelter. Without sound too technical about the whole thing, smaller huts would be more structurally sound." Brennan and Zach nodded.

"Sounds logical," Zach said. "I agree with Booth – we should get started now. The sun will be at its strongest at noon – and if we wait until later it will be too hot to think straight." Alexa nodded.

"I got heat stroke once," she said. As they collected their belongings, heading towards where Booth's map said the clearing was. Alexa might not have been as shrewd as the profilers on Owens' team but she was smart enough to notice that Agent Booth had a relationship with Dr Brennan that went beyond platonic and Jack made no effort to hide his blatantly sexual relationship with Angela.

Almost jogging to maintain Zach Addy's pace she smiled up at him. "I think its fairly obvious that you're going to be my designated partner," she said. He glanced down at her with dark eyes that were boyishly attractive. "We haven't really chatted much." Zach pulled a face.

"I'm not much of a 'chatter'," he said. Alexa was silent as they pushed their way through a wall of trees and bushes. Despite the beautiful visuals of the island's foliage, the leaves were as sharp as knife blades and as each of them moved through, the branches snapped back.

"You were Dr Brennan's assistant?" Alexa asked when they reached the grassy clearing.

"Yes," Zach replied. "Was."

"You're a qualified anthropologist now." She was making a statement and Zach noticed this and did not reply. "Booth tells us what you guys do… sounds amazing. More intelligent that running DNA samples." She dropped her bag on the ground, planting her hands on her hips. "I'm more like… Greg from CSI…" Zach stared at her as though he didn't know how to handle the situation. He was more like Temperance Brennan than he realised.

"I don't watch CSI," he said at last.

"Oh… okay then…" Alexa shrugged. "Well, that's who I'm like."

Angela spoke up. "We need wood, guys. Solid wooden branches. As many palm leaves as you can find..."

"Preferably ones that have not been off the tree for a long period of time!" Jack called. "Leaves have natural water resistance but when they're dead, they can only be used as a bottom layer! To make adequate sheltering we need several layers for each hut." Booth stood back, nodding as if satisfied.

"Smaller leaves," Zach interrupted, "woven together could act as a sort of… curtain for the sides of the hut. What do you propose we use as rope?" Jack folded his arms.

"All leaves have veins, the part that most might call 'the spine' is actually called a midrib. On bigger leaves, this would be the strongest part and if long enough, could definitely serve as something of a robe. In this case, I would recommend drier leaves – if there is too much moisture then the midribs will just snap."

"I knew there was a reason why I picked an entomologist to come onboard!" Booth said with a grin. "Alright guys! We need to build the structure first. Angela has drawn it like a grid and I count we need thirteen branches for _each_ hut. That's a total of 78 branches! I recommend we find about eighty five, just in case. Brennan and I will search for branches, Angela and Hodgins will find large palm leaves and Alexa and Zach, you guys find the smaller 'curtain' leaves, okay? And remember, Agent Harris says we cannot touch live trees except those bearing fruit!"

As the team dispersed Alexa tilted her head towards Zach. "Didn't I tell you we'd be partners?" she asked.

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"Hey, Brennan?" Booth pressed her against the thick bumpy trunk of a palm tree. In the silence, Brennan could hear only their heavy breaths and the distant whisper of the ocean against the sand. Above her head, birds sang – but not common birds that she heard everyday. The sound reminded her of a parrot, only not quite the same. She listened for a long moment, distracted only when his lips caressed her clavicle. "I know we should be collecting branches," Booth said, his fingers slipping beneath the hem of her sleeveless t-shirt. "But there's nothing wrong with a little fumble in the jungle now, is there?" Brennan wriggled free, breathless. Her body felt as though it had been manipulated; her nerves tight with desire. She felt like a violin, whose strings had been tightened and tuned.

"Eighty _five_ branches, Booth," she said, smoothing her hands over her stomach, willing her nerves to be calm. Despite clearing her throat and stiffening her spine, she was acutely aware of her nipples pressing against the soft cotton of her shirt. "Time is the element." Glancing down at her watch, she sighed. "It's just after eight."

"When the sun goes down," Booth said, "you're in so much trouble!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Into the Wild – The Keys

**Disclaimer: **Only Alexa and the other agents belong to me. The really cool ones belong to Fox!

**Rating: **It's time, guys… M.

**Author's Note: **Firstly, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review and to welcome me back! I hope everyone who is reading is enjoying this. Secondly, another shout-out to Howdylynn who's getting all technical on my ass! Hehe! She pointed out that I said in chapter 2 that the teams couldn't damage the flora but in chapter 3 they are doing just that… so I have now amended both those chapters. I think Howdy has given herself a challenge of seeing how many chapters Pereybere can amend! LoL! Thanks for pointing it out, babe!

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"There has been a hurricane here, recently," Jack said, crouching in the foliage. "There's already a lot of damage to the trees – Booth shouldn't have too much trouble finding wood. Lucky for us," he glanced up at Angela, a cheeky glint evident in his eyes, "we shouldn't have too much trouble either." He was surprised that Angela had dressed sensibly in khaki shorts, flat sandals and a sleeveless t-shirt. She wore her hair pulled back from her face, and even without make-up, she was naturally stunning. For the millionth time, Jack thanked God, if there was one, for sending her his way.

Angela's toenails were painted a different colour every week and this week, she'd opted for a coral pink that shimmered. He had never thought feet to be so sexy until he met her.

"Enough with the gawping, mister!" she slapped his shoulder. "We need to get some stuff back to camp." She crouched, rummaging through the dried leaves. "Bottom layer?" she asked, showing him a six foot long palm leaf that was browned and dried. Jack nodded and she tossed it to one side. "This whole 'survival' thing is quite cool, isn't it?" she said, taking a few paces to her right.

"For now, yes," Jack replied. "But in a few days, when we're so hungry our stomachs hurt and we haven't gotten any sleep because we're lying on a bed of leaves, we probably won't be so optimistic." He found a bright green leaf, about a foot shorter than Angela's. "Top layer," he said, starting a new pile.

"Alexa's cute," Angela said, on her knees now, "shame that Zach is too oblivious to notice that she's flirting with him. That boy is clueless." Jack brushed his hand across his forehead, leaving behind a trail of earthy dirt.

"Give him a break," he chuckled. "He's usually too busy being over a microscope to notice when girls like him." Angela glanced up at him, a man she never expected herself to fall in love with. Sometimes, Jack Hodgins was cocky and over zealous, but mostly he was the kindest man she'd ever met. He worshipped her and asked only for her love in return. One day he was her colleague and the next, she saw him as something totally different. "Ange?" Blinking, she realised he was watching her, his blue eyes that were the colour of tanzanite in the hazy light, studying her with fierce concentration. She shook off her thoughts. "You alright?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," she said, smiling brightly. "I can't wait until we get the huts built, then maybe I can do some drawing." Jack caught the glimpse of a small, pink flower that was about half the size of his hand; five pointed petals that were vibrant and stunning against the dark, muted greens of the ground. He reached down, plucking it from halfway down its slender stem. Turning, he slid the flower into Angela's hair, touching his fingers to her cheek. She leaned into his touch, looking up and trying to catch a glimpse of the flower. "You've violated the rules," she whispered and Jack shrugged.

"So I stole a flower," he replied. "It's prettier on you." This was another reason why she loved him; Jack was forever complimenting her. He never tired of making her feel good about herself. "Somehow I don't think Mr Tycoon is going to notice it missing…" Angela glanced down, lifting her hand to touch the velvet soft petals of the floor. Powdery yellow pollen stuck to her fingers, pungent to her nose. Her senses were heightened and suddenly Angela had no desire to search for leaves.

Slipping her arms around his neck, she met his gaze.

Everyone liked to believe that she and Jack were in a sexual relationship – and to listen to the innuendos and watch the shameless flirting, Angela could understand why people believed it. But the truth was, they had been spending months just setting to know one and other. She knew things about Jack that no one else did and it felt wonderful to know that someone was interested in _her _and not just getting her into bed.

She wanted him so much now, though.

"We should… get back to work…" Jack said, his thumbs tracing patterns on her skin. She held his gaze for a long moment, trying to gauge when would be the right time.

"I know," she agreed, slipping from his embrace. "I wonder if Brennan and Booth are back yet?" Their eyes met in an unspoken implication; it was obvious that Booth could rarely keep his hands off Temperance.

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Brennan dusted her hands on her shorts. Ten feet away, Booth planted his hands on his hips and gazed skyward, struggling to see the sky through the canopy of leafy trees above their heads.

A trail of sweat stained his olive coloured t-shirt in a line along his spine and bronzed skin was almost shimmering from the effort of trailing branches to the clearing. They had already found sixty and Brennan said it was because she guessed there had been a storm here recently and the flora had been naturally damaged.

Beneath her feet, the undergrowth snapped as she made her way towards him. Booth was immediately alert, turning to face her. His features softened, pulling a smile to his lips. "Almost there," he said, gesturing to the clearing a few hundred yards behind her. "The hard part _really_ begins when we have to actually build something." Brennan contemplated this for a long moment, leaning against him. His fingers caressed her neck, massaging a knot at the top of her spine.

"Booth?" she whispered, her own fingers moving over his dewy flesh. She inhaled the scent of him, masculine and mixed with hard work. His smell intoxicated her – a natural aphrodisiac. He bent his head, kissing her hair. He murmured in response. "I don't want to wait until the sun goes down…" A low rumble rose in his chest and as if my magic, she felt him harden against her stomach.

Brennan took two steps back, slipping deeper into the vegetation. Taking her t-shirt into tight fists, she slipped the garment over her head, feeling the air caress her skin. That, coupling with Booth's lustrous gaze as his eyes followed the curves of her body, made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. He watched her nipples harden against the cotton of her sensible sports bra.

Her chest rose and fell with each sharp breath she took and he felt his own lungs contract in response to her. He never tired of looking at her, but there was an illicit thrill to looking at her now. Kneeling before her, as though he were worshipping a form of divinity, he pressed an open mouthed kiss to her navel, tasting her skin. Her breathing hitched, as though a moan were stuck in her throat.

His hands slid behind her, tracing the eloquent line of her spine that arched when she leaned into him. She felt wonderful beneath his touch, and the biggest source of arousal for Booth was watching how she reacted to him. Her eyes darkened, deeper than indigo and she seemed almost possessed by her lust.

Brennan knelt too, sinking her fingers into his hair. When he kissed her, it was as though he hadn't done so in an eternity. Starved of her taste, he indulged in it now, tasting her tongue and pulling her lips between his. Her thighs parted as she tried to straddle him, the scent of her arousal evident, even now.

Temperance was a woman who was very highly sexed and Booth had been delighted to discover this when they returned from the forest last year. Once her wounds had completely healed, she had been rampant and filled with an unquenchable lust that made him hard at just a mere thought. Some nights, she would arrive at his apartment at 3am, let herself in and climb naked into his bed. Thinking of his now, made his penis twitch painfully.

Brennan removed her bra, and her breasts swayed before him, a tantalizing fruit that he watched to taste. Her nipples were small and tight, puckered pebbles against his palms as he touched her. In her shorts, she looked like an image from a Playboy magazine. She was his ultimate fantasy.

Touching the tip of his tongue to her nipple, he tasted her he might the nectar from a peach. Her fingers slipped between her thighs in an effort to pleasure herself and he reached for her wrists, putting a halt to her movement. Their eyes never met as he bent her over the dried leaves beneath them. With his free hand, he popped the button on her shorts and eased the zip down.

She wore panties that matched her bra. Booth peeled her clothes from her body before he undressed himself. Kneeling again, he looked at her, lying naked on a bed of leaves; her cheeks flushed, her nipples hard and with her thighs parted in patent invitation, he saw evidence of her arousal on her soft skin.

Naked too, Booth leaned over her, licking her throat, finding her pulse there. The beat of her heart was rapid and urgent. Her fingers found his penis, stroking him long and slow, feeling him, reacquainting herself with his body. She knew him better than he knew himself and she was an expert at pleasuring him. "Temperance," he whispered, kissing her deeply. "I need to be inside you…" Heaven, Booth had long since learned, was having her hot, wet walls around his flesh. She felt better than anything in the world, better than alcohol and better than gambling.

Her body received him easily and a blinding euphoria enveloped him as he paused, half way inside of her, relishing the moment. She wriggled and thrust her hips, taking him inside completely. Their moans seemed amplified in the quiet of the forest. With each thrust, she voiced her appreciation. Booth listened to their bodies, slick with the juices of her arousal. He felt her tighten around him and knew they were both close.

"Dr Brennan?" a voice called through the trees in the near distance. Booth stilled, his eyes meeting hers. She looked startled, her fingers clinging to his arms. "Dr Brennan?" It was Zach, plundering through the forest. "I can't see them around here," he said, apparently to Alexa.

Booth looked down at her, sensing that her colleague and his partner were only metres away. The possibility of being caught, the idea of exhibiting themselves brought his arousal to dizzying heights. With two short, sharp thrusts, he felt himself come inside her. Brennan's mouth was a round 'O' as her muscles trembled around him. Apparently he wasn't the only one who found the danger to be enormously exciting.

"Agent Booth?" their voices were farther away now and they relaxed, sagging into one and other.

Booth slipped from inside her, certain that their activities were perfectly obvious. "Get dressed quickly," he whispered, passing her clothes. "We need to get out of here."

Pulling her clothes on, Brennan blushed, looking at the ground.

Her first day on the island had been one of sexual discovery – she had never imagined that, somewhere inside of her psyche, harboured a woman who could be aroused at the prospect of being caught having sex. But even more surprising as that she wasn't repulsed by it. She felt somehow liberated. Knowing that Zach was so close, that he could easily have stumbled upon them, made her orgasm twice as intense as any other she'd ever had.

Pressing her palms to her cheeks she inhaled sharply. "You okay?" Booth asked, pulling his t-shirt on.

"Yep," she said quickly, "I'm just fine."

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I really so believe, given half the chance, that Brennan and Booth _would be_ highly sexed and that they would be willing to push the boundaries of it. Let me know what you think of this so far!


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **Into the Wild – The Keys

**Rating: **M rated story, T rated chapter.

**Disclaimer: **These characters are still not mine. Too bad for me…

**A/N: **Well, I'm back with another chapter of this story. I figured that with my track record, too many days without a chapter will just lead to another unfinished story so I've made notes in my dairy to remind me which stories to write chapters for. Everyone's recommendations have been noted and hopefully I'll be revisiting some long forgotten works but for now my concentration lies with this story and Lost and Found. Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing; I always appreciate your time.

And an enormous thank you to all the in-depth reviews I have been getting for Lost and Found. It keeps me wanting to write when everyone gets so involved.

Also, half way down this page my font turns bold. No idea why that is, but it's not intentional!

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"Hey guys!" Alexa called as Angela and Jack emerged from the shrubbery. "Look what _we_ made!" Zach and Alexa sat in the centre of the clearing, Indian style, a blanket of leaves between them. The leaves were large enough not to tear when Zach had made small, neat circular holes at the top and bottom. They were thick and round and reminded Jack of banana leaves.

"We used the midribs like Hodgins suggested," Zach said, directly to Angela. "Some of them were too thick and started to tear the leaves," he pointed to a pile of defective foliage. "But when we tore the midribs in half, they're almost like thread." When Alexa stood, she took both ends of the makeshift curtain.

"It looks great, huh?" she asked, her smile wide. "We've only made four so far and Zach said we need…"

"Twenty four," Zach interjected, his voice grim. "This is so time consuming…" Jack turned in a circle, crossing his arms over his chest. "Where'd you get the flower, Angela?" he asked. Angela's hand flew to her hair, touching the petals. While searching for leaves, she had forgotten about Jack's forbidden gift. "It's alright," Zach said, "no one here is going to tell on you for killing flowers." Angela opened her mouth to object when she saw his tell-tale smirk.

"You know," Jack said, interrupting them both. "I don't think we should set up the huts in the middle of this green. If we move to the edge, away from the beach, the back of the huts would be protected by the forestry and we'd only need large palm leaves draped over the back, then. And, instead of building six huts, meaning we would still need eighteen curtains, we only build three larger ones and put a diving curtain in the middle making sort of… two rooms in each hut… we would only need twelve curtains which is _half_ the amount." Alexa frowned.

"I'm not so good with numbers…" she said. "So, may I summarise? Three huts, three full walls and three dividing walls?" Jack nodded.

"Alright… well Zach, that's only eight more to go."

"You better get moving then!" Everyone turned to where Brennan and Booth stood, carrying branches in their arms. Awhile ago they had deposited a pile when Zach and Alexa were searching for appropriate leaves for curtains. "While you're doing that, Jack and I will start building the huts." It was as if Booth's voice was the command for everyone to leap into action.

Zach reached for Jack's elbow, his voice a low hiss. "What are you _doing? _Three huts? Hodgins, I don't even know her." Their gazes fluttered toward Alexa, her blonde hair coming loose from the band she kept it tied in. Her eyes were downcast, her attentions focused on her task. "Booth and Brennan in a hut, that's fine. You and Angela, well _obviously_, but I met her like, three days ago." Jack shrugged out of Zach's tight grip.

"She's not going to bite, man. Anyway, we're making walls."

"Jack!" Booth called. "Angela says you have a new idea? Want to share while we're working?"

Temperance folded her arms beneath her breasts. "Maybe Ange and I should go search for some fruit?" she suggested. "I noticed an orange tree earlier." Brennan tilted her head towards the forestry and Angela nodded.

"Me too," she said. Angela sensed that Brennan had something on her mind. She also knew that her best friend was often far too private to reveal anything. It would be awhile before she divulged this particular secret. But then, with only six of them on an island for seven days… who knew?

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"Amazing," Brennan said as they stood in a line, facing their handy-work. The huts were completed and, although they had planned on being finished before noon, they had run behind their intended schedule and the sun was already dipping below the line of trees beyond their huts. "Nice work with the curtains," Brennan added to Alexa and Zach. "And great idea, Hodgins, using midribs – they've been good for just about everything."

The huts formed a semi circle creating almost a miniature clearing between them and the forestry. With left over wood, they had built a campfire that was ready to be lit as soon as the sun went down. A breeze ruffled the leaves of the curtains, whispering and idyllic. "We should think about catching some fish…" Booth said, his arm brushing Brennan's bare shoulder.

"My father is a keen angler," Alexa said, touching her fingers to damp strands of her atop her head. "When I told him we were going to be in the keys, he told me to look for **Florida Pompano. He said it lives close to the shore. Here," she crossed the grass to her bags – Brennan noticed for the first time that she had two – and unzipped the pocket of one. "He give me this picture." Unfolding the piece of paper, they each took turns in looking at the small, round greenish grey fish, the underside of which was a shimmering gold. "I know some ways we could try. Maybe if you guys made tried to fashion something to cut it with, Zach and I could work on getting the fish?" She looked to Booth for confirmation and permission. He nodded sharply. Brennan slid her hands into her pockets. **

**"Bone," she stated simply. When the group turned to look at her, her features opened in realisation that no one understood her when she made random statements without explanation. This happened quite frequently at work. "Bones have been used since ancient times as weaponry. If maybe we can find some bones we can sharpen the ends." **

**"Yeah but this doesn't remind me of somewhere that people are frequently murdered," Angela said and Brennan looked appalled. **

**"Animal bones, Ange," she replied, her brows lifted in astonishment. "I wasn't suggesting-"**

**"I'm kidding sweetie," her friend insisted with a chuckle. "We should get started. Less chat." Brennan was sure that she'd never heard her best friend say 'less chat' before. Angela was the Queen of too much talking. "Jack and I will work on starting the fire."**

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Brennan and Booth searched the top soil for bones, finding none. Their fingers were dirty and their knees ached from rummaging through the leaves. Stretching, Booth growled.

"I watched on the Discovery Channel once that bamboo is really strong when it's roasted. Apparently it can be used for weapons." He reached out to wrap his fingers around long, narrow shoots of the bamboo plant. "With some work, I'm sure this stuff can do the trick." Brennan examined the length of the ridged wood, nodding as her fingers passed over the smooth surface. "I wonder how Zach and Alexa are getting along? She seems like a nice kid."

Brennan hadn't had much opportunity to speak with the lab technician but her instincts told her that Alexa was a genuine, sweet girl. And despite never having much experience in reading the art of human flirting, she was sure Alexa wanted to spend as much time with Zach as possible.

Darkness was rapidly descending over the island, the air thick with the scent of fire smoke, plants and warmth; the kind of tropical smell that lingered in the air at the very end of a warm day. Brennan stood at the edge of the forest, carrying the bamboo in shoots between them, and she inhaled the island's natural aroma.

Across the clearing, the fire crackled, the orange flames flickering, casting shadows against the grass, making dancing silhouettes out of the tall palm trees that stood as proud beacons against the darkening sky. Only the merest glimmer of light remained and Brennan looked at the sky as a blanket that had been saturated with bright colours and then wrung out, draining all the brightness from within. By morning, the sun would dye it again and it would be as if the night never existed at all. Temperance expected to mourn the loss of daylight, but looking across the clearing, where Angela and Jack sat Indian style, their faces close together, their features, conveying their deep and unconditional love, illuminated only by the firelight and Zach and Alexa making their way towards them with their banana leaves filled with their catch, Brennan never wanted it to end. For the first time in such a long time, she felt as though she had family.

A real family whose efforts to pull together had not ceased when they needed to think hard in order to survive.

The huts might have been makeshift and basic, but to her, they were little palaces in their own little bit of paradise.

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I'll update soon, promise.

For now, goodnight.

XxXxX


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